Hayley O’Keeffe

An Old Bailey jury heard how social services in Aylesbury knew ‘very little’ about the real lives of two young girls who claim they were abused.

Speaking to the jury as he finished his opening statement in the trial of eleven men charged with 49 offences against the girls, Oliver Saxby QC, for the prosecution, said on Tuesday: “You will hear that very little of what has now emerged was known at the time, by parents and social services and so on.

“There may be an extent to which whose charged with their care and supervision, certainly both mothers, and perhaps even social services, might in retrospect have done more, or at least done things differently.”

But the court heard that at the time the girls relished the attention, after being duped by the men to believe that they were in relationships.

Mr Saxby added: “On the other hand, these two girls did not want to be helped.

“They wanted to carry on doing what they were doing. They were not going to be told what to do. And they were not forthcoming with what was going on at that time - the extent and nature of it, the identity of those involved and so on.

“As I have said, such is the way of child exploitation - that is it discourages the victim from breaking away from the abuse for fear of ‘spoiling it’.”

Two mattresses and a used condom will play a key role in the trial.

The court heard that the prosecution intends to call a DNA expert who has analysed the items, taken from the home of Woman A, who is the alleged victim of 45 of the crimes.

Mr Saxby said: “As you know three of these defendants, Asif Hussain, Arshad Jani and Sajid Ali, have significant DNA evidence to contend with. Their semen was found on the double mattress.

“How to explain such apparently strong evidence? In Sajid Ali’s case he admits having sex with Woman A, but with her consent and without appreciating her age. Hence he says, there is nothing in the fact that his semen is on the mattress. ‘So what’, he says - ‘It proves what I already accept.’

“His involvement was towards the end of the period we are dealing with.

“This line is not so viable for Asif Hussain and Arshad Jani, whose involvement was a little earlier in time.”

In the case of Arshad Jani the prosecution says it has further DNA evidence in the form of a used condom.

The condom was found in an old handbag belonging to Woman A, and she says it was hastily shoved in there after the last time they had sex.

Speaking on Monday in court, Mr Saxby quoted Woman A, when she claimed during a police interview about being passed around by defendant Mohammed Imran.

Woman A said: “Some were taxi drivers. Some were bus drivers. Some were drug dealers. Some weren’t even from Aylesbury...He used to bring them from anywhere.

“They used to pay him. He didn’t care...The most I had sex with in one day at Mohammed Imran’s was five or six.”

She added: “In general I was happy at Mohammed Imran’s. I could have any food or drink I wanted or anything else I wanted. I never paid for taxis.”

Eleven men are charged with 49 counts in the case, and charges include rape, conspiracy to rape and sex with a child.